Horace, born Quinto Flacco of freed Roman slaves in the sleepy village of Venosa in the north of Basilicata, was educated in Rome and Athens in philosophy and literature and trained as a soldier. It was his poverty, though, that piqued him to write verse. A satirist, a classicist, a romantic, Horace was also a dyspeptic. He sought cures from alchemists and magicians. He journeyed to Chiusi (an Etruscan town in Umbria, fifteen kilometers from our home) to sit his ailing bones in icy, sulfurous baths. But it was this soup of dried peas and leeks, a food of his childhood, to which he paid homage in his works as his only cure. The folk of Venosa present, having little else to claim, make the soup in every osteria and taverna, each cook armed with at least one trucco—trick—that makes his soup the one and only true one. Here follows mine, its only trucco its artlessness.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　6 ounces dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water for 2 hours, then drained

　　2 teaspoons coarse sea salt, plus additional as needed to cook the pasta

　　1 small branch of rosemary

　　1 branch of sage

　　1 fat clove garlic, peeled and crushed

　　4 small leeks

　　3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　3 cups veal or beef stock, preferably homemade

　　8 ounces freshly made egg pasta, cut into wide, short lengths

　　Just-grated pecorino

　　Freshly cracked pepper

　　

Step 1

In a large saucepan, cover the soaked chickpeas with fresh, cold water, adding the 2 teaspoons of salt, rosemary, sage, and garlic. Over a lively flame, bring the chickpeas to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or until they are soft but still holding their shape. Drain them, reserving a cup or so of the cooking water.

　　

Step 2

Trim the leeks, leaving 1 inch of their green stem. Split, rinse, and dry them—then slice the leeks thin. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil and add the leeks, cooking them until transparent, about 10 minutes over a medium flame. Add 1 cup of stock and reduce the liquid for a minute or two.

　　

Step 3

Cook the pasta in boiling, sea-salted water for 3 minutes and drain, returning the pasta to its cooking pot. Add the cooked, drained chickpeas, the leeks, the remaining 2 cups of stock, and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquors from the chickpeas to the pasta. Over a gentle flame, combine the ingredients.

　　

Step 4

The soup will be quite thick with the beans and pasta and leeks. Ladle the soup into warm, deep bowls, dusting it with pecorino and generous grindings of pepper.

　　A Taste of Southern Italy